Question

Considering the time period which Edwards delivers the sermon, how might his audience have reacted to his words?

Answer 1

Jonathen Edwards delivered " Sinners in The hands of an Angry God" during the Great Awakening, a period in which religion assumed great importance in people's lives. Edward's sermon might have given faithful members of the church a sense of security and satisfaction, and reaffirmed the value of their attendance to church. Those who did not belong to the church, and those whose lives, according to Edwards, were liable to be cause for punishment might have felt fear, guilt, and doubt. Those who did not believe what Edwards said might have a strong sense of animosity to Edwards on hearing the sermon.

Answer 2

His audience was mostly puritan as was the case in the 18th century. His audience was probably scared mindless because his sermons usually included scary and vivid description of suffering, hell, sins, the devil, which was all supposed to scare you into being a better christian.